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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

TAKE FREDRIK BACKMAN'S NOVEL, A MAN CALLED OVE, ALONG FOR THE RIDE

Traveling with a good book is akin to having another
companion, and Fredrik Backman’s strong
novel, A Man Called Ove, is just the kind of traveling companion you
look for.

While his story makes a wonderful companion, Ove, the 59
year old we meet as he vents at a salesman trying to explain to him what an
iPad is, would not be the kind of man you’d normally seek as a travel partner. He has no faith in technology and no respect
for salesmen who try to explain it to him.
He’s a cranky guy, set in his ways, disliked and avoided by most, and
thoroughly convinced that his way is the only way.

So what makes Ove interesting? We all think we know someone quite like him:
older, basically intransigent, intolerant of others, longing for the past, etc.
etc. I, of course, do not find a 59 year
old to be “old,” but that’s another story.
Ove’s familiarity is part of his appeal because we nod our heads and
smirk as the author sardonically portrays him.
He’s humorous because he is essentially humorless. But the more we get to know Ove, the less we
smirk at his bungling attempts, his unfailing but failing resistance to the
growing interaction with his very persistent and very pregnant new neighbor,
and his reliance on a very real guardian angel whose approval he seeks even as
he deeply sighs at what she prompts him to do.
There are a lot of tears, often unexpected, that go along with our
smirks at his quirky behavior.

Why the tears, you may ask.
Behind every person’s current story is a back story. It is important to know Ove’s, and as a
reader, you might begin to hope for a long flight or a rainy day where you stay
indoors. You will want to read about a
man called Ove to find out what makes him tick.

Backman’s writing is direct and deceptively simple. A chapter entitled “A Man Called Ove Backs Up
with a Trailer,” for instance, becomes an introduction to a host of characters,
each nicknamed by Ove according to physical appearance. He practically becomes
unhinged for his neighbor's breaking the (Ove’s) rules, for driving ineptitude, and for what
he considers his basic lack of respect.
Of course, it’s also humorous as Ove tries to drive their car with all
the modern bells and whistles, reacting peculiarly to backup warning sounds and other
new-fangled unnecessaries in modern vehicles.

Backman makes sure that just as the reader begins to feel
dead set against Ove, he releases a bit of information, injects some humor, and
makes sure we want to see what happens next. He brings our rolling boil back
down to a curious simmer.

As we learn more about Ove, we begin to envision a very
different man from the 59 year old we’ve just met. It reminds us not to judge because we never
really know how deep the roots are and where they are gnarled and twisted.

A Man Called Ove examines some deeper questions as well. What makes a person heroic? What are worthwhile values by which one lives
life? What makes one truly happy? Do we always know our true worth in the
world? Are we ever too old to stop
growing? Is happiness out there if we
just look for it and reach out?

In many ways, these questions are answered, and as they are,
along with the smiles at the humor, and the interesting encounters and
revelations, the reader is moved to tears over and over again. Those tears are not always from sadness.